Anglo-Saxons

• England had a population of about 2 million people (less than half of London today!)
• Almost everyone farmed land
• England was a Christian country, and religion played a large role in everyday life
• For centuries England had been under threat from the Vikings, and parts of northern England had Viking settlers
• Edward the Confessor was king from 1042 to 1066, but the kings before him (Cnut and his two sons) had been Vikings
• England had a very well-organised government
• Social system in Anglo-Saxon England

  • King
  • Earls
  • Thegns
  • Peasants
  • Slaves
• Earls


  The most important men after the king. The area of the country controlled by an earl was called an earldom
• Thegns


  Local lords who lived in a manor house and held more than 5 hides of land. Thegns had a duty to provide men for the fyrd (army) when needed
• Peasants


  Made up most of the population. They worked for their local lord. Ceorls ("curls") were free to go and work for another lord if they wanted to, although they still had to do some work for their local lord as well
• King


  The most powerful person in Anglo-Saxon England. His job was to protect his people from attack and make laws
• Slaves


  Made up about 10% of the population, and were viewed more as property than people. Owning slaves was a normal part of life for the Anglo-Saxons, but the Normans thought it was cruel
• Peasants and merchants could work their way up to thegn status
• Slaves could be freed by their masters to become ordinary peasants
• Thegns could be promoted to earls
• A peasant could sell themselves into slavery to support their family
• An earl could be demoted to a thegn
• The Witan


  A council of advisers to the king, made up of important people like earls and archbishops. It discussed threats and disputes, and had a large role in choosing a new king
• King's role in the Witan


  The king decided who was on the Witan and when it met. He did not have to follow its advice
• Powerful king


  • Had success in battle and led a strong army
  • Was a respected law-maker – someone who kept things peaceful
  • Was pious (very religious). Kings claimed to have a special link to God
• Limits to Edward's power


  • Half of the country, the Danelaw, still had strong Danish links from previous Viking invasions. These people wanted to live by their own laws and customs
  • The Earl of Wessex, Earl Godwin, was very powerful. He could put pressure on Edward to do things his way
  • Edward and Godwin fell out in 1050. Edward forced Godwin into exile, but he returned in 1051 with an army, and Edward gave him his earldom back to prevent a war
• Earldoms


  The earls were given many of the king's powers in order to help run the country. They collected taxes, were in charge of justice and legal punishments, and had great military power
• Local government


  • Fyrd (army)
  • Select fyrd (well-equipped thegns and their followers)
  • Shire reeves (carried out the king's instructions in each shire)
  • Geld tax (tax on land originally to pay off the Vikings)
• Legal system


  • Justice was based on collective responsibility
  • Blood feuds (grudges between families which often lasted generations)
  • Wergild system (compensation paid by murderer's family to victim's family)
• England was well suited to growing crops, and likely traded wool and cloth too. The Anglo-Saxons traded with other countries (e.g. silver for coins came from Germany)
• The biggest cities were London and York, and important towns included Norwich and Lincoln
• Church influence


  • The English Church was organised into large areas controlled by bishops, who were rich, important people
  • Local priests were often quite ordinary people and not especially well-educated
  • Abbots and abbesses ran monasteries and nunneries, though the number of these was shrinking
  • Religion was an important part of everyday life because people worried about what would happen when they died
• Villages consisted of a few houses scattered in the countryside. Houses were made of wood and straw. Lots of relatives lived together. Thegns also lived in the countryside, but their houses were bigger and better-built than peasant huts
• Each shire had a main town called a burh. These were well-fortified and linked by roads. The king's laws said that more valuable trade had to take place in a burh, so that trade tax could be paid
• Who was responsible for...

  • Collecting taxes - Earls
  • Choosing a new king - The Witan
  • Making laws - The king
  • Upkeep of roads and defences - Shire reeves
  • Deciding who was on the Witan - The king
  • Enforcing the laws in each shire - Shire reeves
• Earl Godwin had been made Earl of Wessex by King Cnut in 1018. Godwin helped Edward the Confessor become king, and Edward was married to Godwin's daughter Edith
• Why were the Godwins so powerful?

  • Land (they had lots of land, making them almost as rich as the king)
  • Defensive importance (Wessex was England's defence zone against attacks from across the Channel)
  • Leadership (the Godwins were lords to many hundreds of thegns, making them powerful war leaders)
  • Church influence (the Godwins convinced Edward to appoint bishops who were loyal to them)
  • Political links (political marriages gave the Godwins power)
  • Military success (the Godwins defeated their main rival, the Earl of Mercia)
• In 1065 there was an uprising against Tostig, the Earl of Northumbria. It was led by important Northumbrian thegns. The rebels invited Morcar, brother of the Earl of Mercia, to be their earl. Harold Godwinson's second wife was Morcar's sister, Edith of Mercia. Harold was given large amounts of land in Mercia. By November 1065 Tostig was exiled
• Harold Godwinson went to Normandy on a mission for the King (an embassy) in 1064. Harold landed in Ponthieu, where Count Guy of Ponthieu took him prisoner. William of Normandy rescued Harold. Harold then spent time in Normandy, helping William in two military campaigns. Harold made an oath to William – possibly swearing to support William's claim to the English throne
• Edward the Confessor died on the 5th of January 1066. He had no children, which meant there was a succession crisis. The Witan met quickly and Harold was crowned the same day as Edward's burial, 6th January 1066
• In 1065 there was an uprising against Tostig, the Earl of Northumbria. The rebels invited Morcar, brother of the Earl of Mercia, to be their earl
• Tostig had failed to prevent an attack from Wales in 1061
• Earl of East Anglia
• Earl of Kent
• Earl of Northumbria